Help & FAQ
Getting Started
BankReconPro automatically matches your bank statement entries against your general ledger (GL) entries to identify reconciling items, outstanding checks, deposits in transit, and discrepancies.
Basic Workflow
- Create a Reconciliation — Dashboard → New Reconciliation. Name it, pick the currency, and optionally set the period.
- Upload Files — Upload your bank statement and GL export (Excel, CSV, or PDF). A single multi-sheet Excel file also works.
- Run Matching — The engine runs 14 automated passes to find matches.
- Review in Workspace — See matched and unmatched entries side by side. Manually reconcile remaining items.
- Review & Edit — Approve, reject, or modify matches. Add notes.
- Generate Reports — Summary report, AI narrative report, or full Excel export.
Tip: Use the Simulation Lab to try the system with sample data before uploading your real files.
Reconciliation Status Lifecycle
Every reconciliation moves through these statuses. You can change the status from the reconciliation's Edit page.
How Reconciliation Works
The reconciliation process runs 14 sequential steps, from the most certain matches to the most speculative. This order is critical — exact matches are found first so that later combinatorial passes don't accidentally absorb entries that have obvious direct partners.
Can it find 1-to-many and many-to-1 matches?
Yes! The engine supports 1:1, many-to-one, one-to-many, and split transaction matching. It tries multiple permutations and subset-sum combinations to find groups of entries that sum to a target amount. For example:
- Many-to-One — 5 individual GL journal entries that together equal one bank deposit (e.g. POS daily settlement)
- One-to-Many — One large GL entry split across 3 bank transactions
- 2-way & 3-way Splits — A GL entry matched by 2 or 3 bank entries that sum to it
- Reference Group — Multiple GL entries sharing the same batch reference that sum to one bank entry
Does it try permutations?
Yes. The subset-sum finder uses 6 strategies in sequence:
- All-inclusive check — tries all candidates at once (common for batch settlements)
- Reference-prefix grouping — groups entries by reference prefix and tests each group
- Greedy largest-first — adds the biggest entries first
- Greedy smallest-first — adds the smallest entries first
- Greedy with single-skip — tries skipping one entry at a time
- Full combinatorial — tests all combinations up to 25 entries (with limits to prevent timeout)
Groups are also checked for coherence — the engine won't grab random entries that happen to sum correctly. It verifies that entries share keywords (POS, SETTLE, BATCH, etc.) or common reference prefixes.
The 14 Matching Passes
| Pass | Name | Type | Confidence | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exact 1:1 | 1:1 | High | Same amount, same or close date, non-conflicting references |
| 2 | Reference Match | 1:1 / N:1 | High | Shared check numbers, invoice numbers, or batch references. Also groups multiple entries by reference. |
| 3 | Reversal Detection | Bank-only | Medium | Self-cancelling bank entry pairs (+$X / -$X) confirmed by description similarity or close dates |
| 4 | Near Match 1:1 | 1:1 | High | Same amount, close date, best description similarity (Jaccard). Rejects conflicting references. |
| 5 | Tolerance 1:1 | 1:1 | Medium | Near-amount (within tolerance) — catches rounding differences, small FX adjustments, bank fees |
| 6 | Negated Amount | 1:1 | Medium | Sign-flipped amounts (bank debit → GL credit) confirmed by description or reference similarity |
| 7 | Many-to-One | N:1 | Medium | Multiple GL entries sum to one bank entry (subset-sum with coherence check) |
| 8 | One-to-Many | 1:N | Medium | Multiple bank entries sum to one GL entry (subset-sum with coherence check) |
| 9 | Split Transaction | 2:1 / 3:1 | Medium | 2-way and 3-way splits — finds 2 or 3 bank entries that sum to a GL entry |
| 10 | Vendor Name Match | 1:1 | Medium | Matches entries sharing the same vendor/payee name with close amounts and dates |
| 11 | Description Match | 1:1 | Low | High description similarity + amount tolerance, wider date range. Uses vendor name metadata. |
| 12 | Rounded Amount | 1:1 | Low | Matches entries where one amount rounds to the other (e.g., $1,499.50 → $1,500.00). Catches rounding in invoices and payments. |
| 13 | Historical Learning | 1:1 | Medium | Applies saved matching rules from previous reconciliations (description pattern pairs) |
| 14 | AI Suggest | Any | Low | Uses AI to review remaining unmatched entries and suggest possible matches |
Reconciliation Methods Explained
1:1 Match
One bank entry matches one GL entry. The simplest and most common type. Covers ~70-90% of entries in a typical reconciliation.
Many-to-One (N:1)
Multiple GL entries match one bank entry. Common for daily POS settlements where many individual transactions are deposited as one lump sum.
One-to-Many (1:N)
One GL entry matches multiple bank entries. Happens when a single journal entry covers several bank transactions (e.g., a batch payment split across multiple checks).
Reversal
Two bank entries that cancel each other out (+$1000 / -$1000). These are removed from the reconciliation — they have no GL impact.
Split Transaction
2 or 3 bank entries that sum to one GL entry. Catches cases where a payment was split (e.g., partial payment + remainder).
AI Suggested
Matches suggested by the AI model as a last resort. Always flagged for review — these must be verified by a human before export.
Using the Workspace
The Workspace shows bank and GL items side by side. Matched entries are color-coded.
Key Actions:
- Manual Match: Select one or more bank entries and one or more GL entries using checkboxes, then click "Match Selected"
- Unmatch: Click the unlink icon on any matched row to break the match
- Expand: Pop out either table to full screen for easier browsing
- Export: Download bank or GL entries as a styled Excel file
- Filter: Toggle All / Reconciled / Outstanding and search by description or reference
Using the AI Assistant
The AI assistant (the bubble in the bottom-right corner) is not just a chatbot — it's a fully agentic AI that can perform real actions on your behalf: upload files, create reconciliations, run matching, fix exceptions, and generate reports. Talk to it like you would a senior colleague.
Agentic Workflows — The AI Does It For You
Don't just ask questions — tell the AI what you want done and it will execute multi-step workflows autonomously. Here are example conversations:
How to Upload Files in Chat
- Click the 📎 paperclip button next to the text input (or drag-and-drop files onto the chat panel)
- Select your bank statement and GL export (the AI auto-detects which is which)
- File chips appear below the input — use the dropdown to toggle Bank / GL if needed
- Type a message like "Reconcile these" or just hit Send — the AI handles the rest
- The AI will parse the files, run matching, and show results — all within the chat
Supported formats: CSV, Excel (.xlsx, .xls), OFX, QBO, MT940, TSV, PDF | Auto-detected: QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, and 20+ other accounting formats
What you can say:
- "Reconcile these files for ACME Corp" — Upload + reconcile in one step
- "What needs my attention today?" — Morning briefing across all accounts
- "Show me all debits over $5,000 that didn't match" — Natural language queries
- "Why didn't the $3,200 payment match?" — Explains the gap with near-misses
- "Run matching and generate a report" — Multi-step workflow
- "Create a new recon for Beta Inc" — Creates client + recon automatically
- "Fix all the bank charge false positives" — Finds and fixes miscategorizations
- "Could there be fraud?" — Full risk assessment with evidence
Full Capabilities
Actions It Can Perform
- Upload and parse files (bank statements, GL exports) directly in chat
- Create clients, bank accounts, and reconciliations
- Run the 14-pass matching engine and show results
- Create manual matches between entries
- Confirm, reject, or bulk-approve matches
- Categorize exceptions and update IGL report statuses
- Delete files, entries, or entire reconciliations (with your confirmation)
- Generate report links and navigate you to any page
- Carry forward items from prior periods
Analysis & Intelligence
- Natural language data queries ("show me all debits over $5K")
- Morning briefing — what needs attention across all accounts
- Explain why entries didn't match with near-miss analysis
- Cross-period trend analysis and comparison
- Full portfolio health assessment
- Proactive next-step suggestions after every action
Fraud & Risk Assessment
- Explain any red flag in detail with context
- Identify duplicate payments, round-number anomalies, and timing gaps
- Cross-account risk analysis across your portfolio
- Recommend follow-up actions for each risk finding
Smart Diagnostics
- Diagnose 0% reconciliation rate — tells you if matching wasn't run or a side is missing
- Troubleshoot low reconciliation rates with specific next steps
- Guide you through "how to increase my reconciliation rate" (5-step plan)
- Troubleshoot file upload and parsing issues
- Identify balance discrepancies and suggest causes
Important Notes:
- • AI suggestions should always be verified by a human — the AI can make mistakes
- • The assistant works best when you're on a reconciliation page (it uses that reconciliation's data as context)
- • For destructive actions (deleting files, entries, or recons), the AI shows a confirmation button — it never deletes without your approval
- • The AI only sees data within your firm — it cannot access other firms' data
- • Ask specific questions for better results — "explain the $5,000 difference in bank deposits" is better than "what's wrong?"
AI Narrative Report
From any reconciliation's detail page, click Narrative Report to generate a full AI-written analysis. This includes an executive summary, detailed findings, risk assessment, and recommended actions. The report generates in the background — you can navigate away and come back when it's ready (a toast notification appears when complete).
Reports & Export
Summary Report
Visual reconciliation summary with balances, adjustments, match statistics, and charts. Available as a web page or printable PDF.
Narrative Report
AI-generated detailed analysis with executive summary, risk findings, and recommended actions. Print-ready PDF with branded header.
Excel Export
Full workbook with multiple sheets: matched entries, unmatched bank, unmatched GL, exceptions, and summary dashboard.
Google Sheets
Export directly to a new Google Sheets spreadsheet (requires Google API configuration).
Understanding Risk Findings
The system automatically analyzes your reconciliation for patterns that may indicate issues. Risk findings do not necessarily indicate fraud — they highlight items that warrant investigation.
Severity Levels:
Tip: Click "Ask AI" on any risk finding to get a detailed explanation from the AI assistant.
Team & Security
BankReconPro includes a full team management system so firms can control who sees what data and track all user activity.
Team Roles
Every user belongs to a Firm and is assigned one of four roles:
Client Assignments & Data Scoping
Admins assign team members to specific clients from the Team Dashboard. Each user only sees data for their assigned clients:
- The Dashboard shows only metrics from your assigned clients’ reconciliations
- The Reconciliation list is filtered to your assigned clients
- Portfolio Report, Client Report, and all exports are scoped to your access
- The AI Assistant only has context from reconciliations you can access
- Admins see all data across all clients in the firm
Inviting Team Members
Admins can invite new team members from the Team Dashboard. Enter their email address and select a role. They’ll receive an invitation link to join your firm. Pending invites can be cancelled before they’re accepted.
Activity Logging
BankReconPro automatically logs key actions for audit purposes:
- Login — Every sign-in is recorded with IP address and device info
- Client actions — Creating, editing, and deleting clients
- Reconciliation actions — Creating, editing, and deleting reconciliations
- File uploads — Every bank statement and GL file uploaded
- Matching runs — Each time auto-matching is executed
- Exports — Every Excel and Google Sheets export
Activity logs are visible to Admins on the Team Dashboard and help maintain a complete audit trail.
Terms Acceptance
All users must accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before using BankReconPro. New users are automatically prompted on their first login. The Terms and Privacy Policy are always accessible from the footer.
Getting to the Team Dashboard
Click Team in the navigation bar (visible to all users; editing features are Admin-only). From there you can see team members, their roles, client assignments, pending invites, and recent activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Excel (.xlsx, .xls), CSV, and PDF bank statements. For PDF, the system automatically extracts transaction data. A single Excel workbook with both bank and GL on separate sheets also works — the system auto-detects which sheet is which.
The system scans your column headers for common accounting terms like "date," "amount," "debit," "credit," "description," and "reference." It also recognizes data patterns (e.g., date columns are detected automatically). If auto-detection doesn't get it right, you can manually remap columns.
Yes! You can upload additional files and re-run matching at any time. The engine will process all available entries. Existing confirmed matches are preserved — only unmatched entries are re-processed.
Reconciliation rate is the percentage of total entries (bank + GL) that have been successfully matched. A 100% reconciliation rate means every entry on both sides has a corresponding match. In practice, 90%+ is considered good. Unmatched items are your reconciling items — deposits in transit, outstanding checks, or discrepancies that need investigation.
Yes. The Tolerance pass (Pass 5) handles small amount differences. By default, entries are considered matching if the difference is within $0.10 or 0.5% of the amount, whichever is larger. You can adjust these thresholds in the reconciliation settings. These tolerance matches are flagged for review as they may represent rounding, FX adjustments, or bank fees.
The core reconciliation process works without an internet connection. The AI-powered features (AI Suggest, AI Chat, and Narrative Reports) do require an internet connection. If those features aren't available, the system will let you know.
Files up to 5 GB are supported. Large files are uploaded seamlessly in the background, so you won't experience any interruptions. The system can handle tens of thousands of entries without slowing down.
The Simulation Lab lets you test BankReconPro with pre-built sample datasets before uploading your own files. It includes scenarios like simple monthly reconciliations, multi-currency situations, and complex batch matching — perfect for learning how the system works.
From the reconciliation detail page, click Edit (pencil icon). On the edit form, there's a "Status" dropdown where you can change it to Completed, Under Review, or any other status. Save to apply the change.
Yes — as long as they are assigned to that client. An Admin assigns team members to specific clients via the Team Dashboard. Multiple team members assigned to the same client can all view and work on that client's reconciliations. Use the "Under Review" status to hand off reconciliations to a reviewer. Admins can always see all reconciliations.
Every user belongs to a Firm and has a role: Admin, Senior, Junior, or Viewer. Admins see everything and manage the team. Senior and Junior members only see reconciliations for clients they’ve been assigned to. Viewers have read-only access to their assigned clients. Admins assign members to clients from the Team Dashboard using the toggle buttons.
Go to Team in the navigation bar, then click Invite Member. Enter their email address and choose a role. They’ll receive an invitation link. Once they sign up through that link, they’ll automatically join your firm with the assigned role. You can cancel pending invites at any time.
You can only see data for clients you’ve been assigned to. If you need access to additional clients, ask your firm’s Admin to assign you from the Team Dashboard. Admins automatically have access to all clients.
Yes. BankReconPro logs key actions like logins, client and reconciliation changes, file uploads, matching runs, and exports. This provides a full audit trail for compliance purposes. Activity logs are visible to Admins on the Team Dashboard.
When you create a new client, you are automatically assigned to it, along with all Admins in your firm. Other team members will need to be assigned by an Admin from the Team Dashboard before they can see that client’s data.
Glossary
- Bank Statement
- The record of all transactions from the bank's perspective for a given account and period.
- General Ledger (GL)
- Your company's internal accounting record of all transactions for the cash/bank account.
- Reconciliation Rate
- Percentage of items (bank + GL) that have been successfully reconciled. Higher is better — 100% means fully reconciled.
- Deposits in Transit
- Deposits recorded in your GL that haven't yet appeared on the bank statement (timing difference).
- Outstanding Checks
- Checks you've written (recorded in GL) that haven't yet cleared the bank.
- Reconciling Items
- Entries that explain the difference between the bank balance and the GL balance (e.g., outstanding checks, deposits in transit, bank fees).
- Exception
- An entry flagged during matching that needs manual attention — e.g., amount mismatch, duplicate, or unusual pattern.
- Match Quality Level
- The engine's certainty about a match. High = exact match, Medium = likely correct but review recommended, Low = AI suggestion or weak signal.
- Risk Finding
- An automatically detected pattern that may indicate an issue (not necessarily fraud) — e.g., large unexplained amounts, duplicates, round-number anomalies.
- Portfolio Health
- A 0-100 score on the dashboard reflecting the overall state of all your reconciliations. Based on reconciliation rates, exception counts, and completion status.
- Firm
- Your organization in BankReconPro. All team members and clients belong to a firm. Data is isolated between firms.
- Team Member
- A user account within a firm. Each member has a role (Admin, Senior, Junior, or Viewer) that determines their permissions.
- Client Assignment
- The link between a team member and a client. You can only view data for clients you are assigned to (unless you are an Admin).
- Data Scoping
- The security mechanism that restricts each user’s view to only the clients they are assigned to. Applies to dashboards, lists, reports, and exports.
- Activity Log
- An audit trail of user actions including logins, data changes, file uploads, matching runs, and exports. Visible to Admins on the Team Dashboard.